15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, Zimri reigned for seven days in Tirzah. Now the people were camped against (A)Gibbethon, which belonged to the Philistines. 16 And the people who were camped heard [a]it being said, “Zimri has conspired and has also struck and killed the king!” Therefore all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that day in the camp. 17 Then Omri and all Israel with him went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah. 18 When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house over himself with fire, and (B)died, 19 because of his sins which he [b]committed, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, (C)walking in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin which he committed, misleading Israel into sin. 20 (D)Now as for the rest of the acts of Zimri and his conspiracy which he [c]carried out, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 16:16 Lit saying
  2. 1 Kings 16:19 Lit sinned
  3. 1 Kings 16:20 Lit conspired

Zimri Rules in Israel

15 Zimri began to rule over Israel in the twenty-seventh year of King Asa’s reign in Judah, but his reign in Tirzah lasted only seven days. The army of Israel was then attacking the Philistine town of Gibbethon. 16 When they heard that Zimri had committed treason and had assassinated the king, that very day they chose Omri, commander of the army, as the new king of Israel. 17 So Omri led the entire army of Israel up from Gibbethon to attack Tirzah, Israel’s capital. 18 When Zimri saw that the city had been taken, he went into the citadel of the palace and burned it down over himself and died in the flames. 19 For he, too, had done what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He followed the example of Jeroboam in all the sins he had committed and led Israel to commit.

20 The rest of the events in Zimri’s reign and his conspiracy are recorded in The Book of the History of the Kings of Israel.

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